2009 Emi Shan China Total Solar Eclipse

Visit the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, and the Summer Palace. The Forbidden City was the imperial palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Adjacent to the Forbidden City is Tiananmen Square. The square is 880 meters south to north and 500 meters east to west, a total area of 440,000 square meters, which makes it the largest open-urban square in the world. We will also visit the Summer Palace which is a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design. In the evening, we will enjoy a Kung Fu Show and sample the famous Peking Duck at our Welcome Banquet.

Enjoy a full day excursion to the world famous Great Wall. In the evening, we will visit the ancient Astronomical Observatory of Beijing. Its rich history spans more than five hundred years, making it one of the most historically interesting observatories in the world.

Visit the Ming Tombs in the morning. The harmonious integration of remarkable architectural groups in a natural environment chosen to meet the criteria of geomancy (Feng shui) makes the Ming and Qing Imperial Tombs masterpieces of human creative genius. Take an evening flight to Xian.

In Xian, we visit the Shaanxi Provincial Museum, a Chinese style mosque, Terra Cotta Warriors and browse through the night market. The Qin Terra Cotta Warriors site near Xian has nearly 8,000 life-sized pottery warriors and horses in battle attire and formation. They have been buried for over 2,200 years their discovery is considered to be the most important archaeological finds of the 20th century. Enjoy the famous Dumpling Banquet of Xian.

Visit the Two Wild Goose Pagodas. These two giant Buddhist pagodas date back about 1300 years to the Tang Dynasty. They are the only tall pagodas of the historic Tang era still standing. Also visit the Bell Tower and the prehistoric village of Ban Po. The Bell Tower, a remarkable symbol of ancient Xian, is the largest and best preserved among the existing bell towers in China. Ban Po, just east of the modern town, is a famous excavation in archeological circles, consisting of a complete Neolithic village.

Fly to Chengdu in the morning. Half day tour to Dujiangyan Irrigation System. The Dujiangyan Irrigation System, begun in the 2nd century BCE, is a major landmark in the development of water management and technology, and is still discharging its functions perfectly. This system controls the waters of the Minjiang River and distributes it to the fertile farmland of the Chengdu plains. The immense advances in science and technology achieved in ancient China are graphically illustrated by the Dujiangyan Irrigation System.

Morning visit to Giant Panda research center. The Chengdu Panda center is one of the best known panda breeding facilities in China and has been very successful at producing cubs. In the afternoon, we will visit the Sanxingdui Museum and learn about the culture that existed in the area of Chengdu between 2,800 to 800 BC. The museum houses some of the area’s most ancient remains excavated near the present city of Guanghan. Clues to this large and thriving culture were discovered by a farmer in 1929 and in the years since, more and more clues about the mysterious Sanxingdui are being unearthed. Silk Factory and Tea shopping after the museum.

About 2 hrs drive from Chengdu to the Leshan Scenic Area where we will visit the cultural treasure of the Giant Buddha of Leshan, carved out of a hillside in the 8th century and looking down on the confluence of three rivers. At 71 m high, it is the largest Buddha in the world. We will then drive to Emei Shan and the Golden Summit.

The World Heritage Committee considers the area of Mt. Emei to be of exceptional cultural significance since it is the place where Buddhism first became established on Chinese territory and from where it spread widely throughout the east. Mount Emei is also notable for its exceptionally diverse vegetation, ranging from subtropical to subalpine pine forests. Some of the trees there are more than 1,000 years old. It is an area of natural beauty into which the human element has been integrated.

Overnight at Golden Summit Hotel. Please note that we will be spending the night at the summit.